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13. The Healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-19)
Portraits of How God Saves
The healing of Naaman, the Leper is not just a story of the healing of a man from one of the most dreaded diseases of ancient times, but it is a story of salvation, one which illustrates the spiritual salvation man finds only in Jesus Christ and how men come to find that salvation in Christ. In Naaman's healing there are a variety of people who play different parts; some good and vital to the salvation and healing of Naaman and others not so good. All illustrate the various good and evil persuasions of people that either aid or hinder bringing men to Christ.
As we step into this scene, we leave the land of Israel, a nation that was to be a light to the Gentiles and a nation of priests. We step into Syria to the north, a heathen (pagan) nation surrounded in darkness, a place of idolatry and heathen blindness. In these verses there is an anticipation of the gospel that would go out from Israel through Messiah and then out from the church carrying the light of Jesus Christ to the Gentile nations. Naaman's healing was an illustration of what God would later do in the ministry of the Lord Jesus and His church. Here, then, is a classic illustration of God's Love, of how He reaches out to a people in utter darkness and uses their afflictions to draw them to Himself if they will only respond to His pre-salvation work of grace wherein God seeks to bring men to repentance (Rom 2:4).
The Description of Naaman
Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper.
In this we have a picture of the sinner before he comes to God.
Naaman comes from the Hebrew verb naem, "be delightful, pleasant, beautiful." It has the idea of "gracious" or "well formed." Because of the significance of names in Scripture, this tells us something about the man. His name suggests he had undoubtedly been a handsome man, at least before the leprosy. Further, the implication is that he was also a gracious and delightful man. But his name became a reproach and a striking contrast to his appearance and probably also to his disposition because of the disease which had attacked his body. It provides a striking picture of mankind created physically and spiritually beautiful in God's image before sin began to take it's toll on both the disposition and physical body of man.
The way Naaman is first described gives us a picture of him as he was seen by people who tend to look mostly on the outward appearance.
(1) His position. He was "captain of the army of the King of Aram." This means he was the General of the Syrian or the Aramean Army, second in command to the King. He was a man of great authority and position.
(2) His popularity and prestige. This is noted in the words, "a great man with his master, and highly respected . . ." Here was a popular man. He was a national hero as the general who had been victorious over the enemies of the nation of Aram. Upon his head were the laurels or wreaths of victory and upon his chest, medals of honor and valor. But would you also note the biblical perspective and truth regarding the source of victory and valor; it is the sovereign plan and power of God. He was a man whom God had used as He had Pharaoh and the Kings of Assyria and Babylon. Here again we see how the Lord uses the saved and unsaved alike to carry out His purposes and plans. But being so used does not save a person.
(3) His problem. He was a Leper. "But he was," italicized in the NASB, is not in the Hebrew text. In the original Hebrew text we find only the word "leprous," which highlights or emphasizes Naaman's problem--the dreaded disease of leprosy.
In Scripture, leprosy is a portrait of sin and man's true spiritual condition without the saving grace (spiritual healing) of God's salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Regardless of how men may see us or we may see ourselves, in God's Holy eyes, we are leprous without the righteousness of Christ imputed to us through faith in the person and work of the Savior. This one word gives us God's perspective of the true condition of this man regardless of how he was seen and thought of by man. Here we see a holy God's perspective of man without Jesus Christ and the ravages of sin.
The principle we need to see is that "many today are perishing from the loathsome leprosy of sin. One may be great, successful, wealthy, honorable and mighty, but spiritually lost. To realize one's lost condition before God, and to desire to escape from it are the first steps toward salvation. Naaman discovered this."45
But what exactly does leprosy in the Bible teach us about our sin and its effect in our lives? What can we learn from this story about man's condition in sin and what God does for man in Jesus Christ to heal him from the leprosy of sin? Before we continue, let's look at the subject of leprosy itself.
An Explanation of Leprosy
The biblical instructions for leprosy, the separation, isolation, and cleansing of the leper and thus the biblical foundation as a picture of sin are described for us in Leviticus 13-14. The Hebrew word for leprosy, x`r^A^T, was actually used of a wider range of skin diseases as well as what is today called leprosy or Hansen's disease caused by the bacillus mycobacterium leprae. The Greek word is lepra from lepw which means, "to peel off in scales." It is equivalent to psoriasis, only it was far more serious than the psoriasis we think of today. Scholars are somewhat in disagreement regarding biblical leprosy, but it appears that there were two main types. "The first, and by far the more dangerous, is called lepromatous; and the other, a more benign type, is designated as tuberculoid . . . Both start with discoloration of a patch of skin. This patch may be white or pink. It is most likely to appear on the brow, nose, ear, cheek or chin."46
(1) The Lepromatous Type: As this form begins to spread, portions of the eyebrow may disappear, then spongy tumor like swellings appear on the face and body. The disease is systemic and involves the internal organs as well. It is deep seated in the bones, joints and marrow of the body resulting in the deterioration of the tissues between the bones. The results are deformity, loss of feeling in the appendages, and in the fingers and toes eventually falling off. This form is incurable and lasts until the victim finally dies often by the invasion of other diseases because of the weakened condition. They may live for twenty or thirty years in this miserable condition.47
(2) The Tuberculoid Type: This form is less severe and begins much like the lepromatous form with a change in skin color in one area and then spreading to other areas. This form is limited in its effects and often only lasts from one to three years. The person with this form, unless miraculously healed, could return to the priest and be declared cleansed or healed after observation. Other types of skin diseases were observed and when found not be to true leprosy or they disappeared, the people with these forms were also declared clean. Other than by God's direct intervention, it appears the Hebrews had no cure for leprosy. In modern times there are very effective medicines available, and leprosy patients are usually not isolated.48
One thing is certain, the term leprosy referred to several types of skin diseases which were rooted in the blood stream. When they were the lepromatous type, they were incurable and led to horrible consequences. Because of this, specific directions were given for leprosy in Leviticus 13-14. This was done first as a protection against possible spread in case it was contagious, but there was also a ceremonial or spiritual reason. Leprosy stood as a picture of sin and all its features and effects upon man and upon his relationship with God.
The Significance of Leprosy in the Bible
(1) The leper was considered unclean and had to be isolated from society to a certain degree. Wherever he went he was to cry out, "unclean, unclean," and he had to wear black with a hood covering his face and live outside the city walls.
(2) Whenever the Lord Jesus healed a leper he always pronounced the person, not healed, but cleansed.
(3) True leprosy was incurable by man in Bible times just as sin is incurable for man (Jer. 17:9, "desperately sick," "beyond cure" or "incurably sick"; see also Isa. 1:5-6). There is nothing man himself can do to deal with his sin problem. Further, his sin separates him from God and even from intimate fellowship with people (cf. 1 Cor. 5:9-13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1). When the Lord healed a leper, therefore, the picture should have been obvious. His power to cleanse a leper demonstrated He was the solution to man's sin and defilement; He alone was and is the means of reconciliation, peace with God and man.
(4) The rite of purification in the Old Testament did not cure, it only recognized the fact a leper was cured, he was clean of the disease, or that he never really had the incurable type of leprosy. He could then be reconciled to society.
(5) Leprosy, like sin, begins within (with what we are) and then erupts on the skin (on the surface). As such, it clearly reminds us of the principle that men are, by an inherited nature, sinners and that it's not just what we do that is so bad, but what we are. The point is the mouth speaks and hands do as a result of what the heart is and thinks (Luke 6:43-45; Ps. 51:5; 58:3; Matt. 12:33-34; Eph. 2:1f). With this in mind, compare Leviticus 13:1-4. Even the slightest blemish in the skin, a swelling (a boil), a scab (a small tumor), or a bright spot (a red or scaly place) was to be carefully observed to see if it was the product of something deeper, i.e., some form of true leprosy.
(6) The priest was to examine the skin and pronounce the person clean or unclean depending upon his observation of the facts. So today, since Christ has provided cleansing from sin, every believer as a believer priest is to detect sin in their own life and pronounce it sin when it first appears (1 John 1:8-10).49
(7) The pain of leprosy, at least in certain forms, was not acute because it also killed the nerves in the affected area, but it kept the victim restless, miserable, and frustrated as they felt the stigma of the disease. They saw portions of their bodies become numb, muscles atrophy (waste away), tendons contract making the hands like claws, and then the ulceration of the fingers and toes and hands and feet resulting in their loss bit by bit until the whole hand or foot was gone. We must not miss the picture God wants us to see from this emphasis in Scripture. Sin is like this. Because of man's separation from God, because of his spiritually dead condition and the hardness of his soul, he becomes insensitive, callused, restless and never satisfied. He often does not experience severe pain from his sin and waywardness, only insensitivity, restless misery, and futility, ever seeking some means of fulfillment running from one thing to another (cf. Isa. 57:20-21; Eph. 4:16-19). Even in apparent prosperity and happiness, not only is there a certain amount of inner peace and true happiness missing, but their ultimate plight is death, loss, and the judgment of separation (Ps. 1:4-5; 73:1-28).
(8) Because of the nature of the disease, the leper was often considered as dead; it was a kind of living death though physically alive. So men without Christ are nothing more than the living dead; though walking about they are spiritual zombies (Eph. 2:1).
(9) Regardless of one's position, honor, power, possessions, or wealth, leprosy, like sin, is no respecter of persons. Naaman was a man of position and prestige, but he was also leprous.
(10) As seen previously, in Israel, according to the Law, lepers were excluded from society as a picture of sin and its effects. God used this to remind Israel of His holiness. Cleansing a leper meant being restored back to a normal life. The term "cure" in 2 Kings 5:3 literally meant, "to receive back." This provides us with a fitting picture of our reconciliation to God and to one another (cf. Isa. 59:2 with 2 Cor. 5:18-21).
(11) Finally, the leprosy of sin destroys the pleasantness and beauty God meant for mankind in His creation. Sin deforms us, but in Christ we are made new creations and can be transformed into His glorious likeness (2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 4:19). See also 2 Kings 5:14.
Namaan held a high position, but had a very great problem. We need to understand that God often uses the personal failures, sicknesses, and problems of men as a means so bring them to the end of themselves and to a knowledge of the Lord and His salvation. (Ps. 119:67, 71, 73). God uses problems in life to force us to face our deeper problem, the problem of sin, and the need of God's forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ. This chapter illustrates this. Naaman went from his problem to God's solution which was more than simply the healing of his leprosy. As we will see, Naaman came to know the true God. So, with verses 2 and following we will see how God worked in various ways, through the disease and through people to bring Naaman to the Lord. In these verses we have portraits of how God saves.
The Little Maid in a Foreign Land
2 Now the Arameans had gone out in bands, and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3 And she said to her mistress, "I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy."
Here we see how the Lord always has His messengers of the Word. When there is a person whose heart has been prepared, God always has his messengers. Here, God's messengers begin with a little captive slave girl. In fact, by His matchless grace, God worked through the unrighteous deeds of Naaman's own army to bring this little slave girl into his own home to be the instrument of God's Love.
But what kind of messenger does God use? He uses those who are available--those who know and love the Lord. Here was a small girl, humble, obedient, insignificant to men, living under dire conditions, but with a Romans 8:28 mental attitude; she was a girl using the problems of life as opportunities or as open doors to witness for God.
Though small, weak, and insignificant, this little girl knew the omnipotent and sovereign Lord of the universe with whom there was healing. She was willing to point others to the most significant Being of the universe, YAHWEH OF ISRAEL, who alone could cure Naaman's disease.
Why do you suppose Naaman listened to her? After all what could a slave know? May I suggest that he listened because perhaps her life spoke volumes! Her life had been such a testimony that it gave credibility to her words.
Naaman's Journey to Israel
4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel." 5 Then the king of Aram said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." And he departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy." 7 And it came about when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me."
In verses 4-7, we have an excellent illustration of how salvation cannot be obtained. Oh, how these verses reveal the natural tendencies and perspective of the carnal mind. Here is a typical man who recognized his need to some extent, but he wanted to have a part in his healing. He was trusting first in power, position, and riches. Instead of thinking in terms of God's grace, he naturally thought in terms of favoritism, the leverage of power, wealth, and what one can earn or buy.
First, in verse 4, Naaman went into the king with the news and to get permission from his king to go to Israel. The king was willing to help, and that's good, but they immediately thought in terms of political and financial clout (vss. 5-6). They thought they could buy the favors of God from the prophet of Yahweh through the king of Israel. So Naaman was sent to the king of Israel rather than to the prophet of God. With him he took a large amount of silver, gold and clothes as payment. This was the typical cultural pattern of that day (and ours as well), but it is not God's pattern.
So now with verse 7 we see the response of the king of Israel. First, this was the wrong response for the king. Though he had power, position and wealth, yet unlike the little slave girl, he had no witness. Instead of immediately pointing Naaman to Elisha, the prophet of God, he was paralyzed with fear; he was paranoid. He thought that the king of Aram was seeking some cause to create an incident and reason to attack. Instead of seeing this as an opportunity to demonstrate the power of the Lord, he thought only of himself. What a contrast to the little slave girl who thought of others rather than her own plight. Note that she could have thought, as many would, that he was getting just what he deserved. Or she could have tried to strike a bargain in exchange for her freedom.
Like the king of Israel, how quick we are to read things into situations and expect the worst rather than take life's situations as opportunities to serve the Lord and to see Him work. Why? Because we are blinded and paralyzed by our self love.
But wait a minute, maybe there is a lesson for us here. It's the lesson of the growth potential of accountability, service, and suffering. Through her accountability to her master, her service to his wife, and her own suffering being uprooted from her home and family, this little girl had learned to trust the Lord and then to think of others and their needs. The king, on the other hand, considered himself accountable to no one (a serious error). Further, he was always served by others and failed to see himself as a servant of the people. Thinking only of himself was simply a natural product of the kind of luxurious life he lived.
But from Naaman's standpoint, what did this do for him? It shattered part of his trust in his human resources. That which he thought would buy his cure was worthless. He was literally left holding the bag, the bag of money in his leprous hand. He needed to learn, as all of us do, that we must never trust in the uncertainty of riches, or power, or position, but instead, to trust only in God's grace and work in His Son. Compare Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; 1 Tim. 6:17f; 1 Peter 1:17-21; and Revelation 3:17-18.
Money, power and wealth cannot save us, make us spiritual, effective witnesses, or deserving of responsibility or leadership in the body of Jesus Christ. Only God's grace and his gifts and blessings in Jesus Christ can do that.
The Invitation of Elisha
8 And it happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."
Does this not illustrate God's loving concern for the sinner. Again, God has his messengers. Though some will fail in their responsibility and ministry, the Lord watches over the seeking soul and at just the right moment, he sends one of his own with whatever is necessary to take the seeking person another step toward the Lord and salvation (cf. Rom 2:2-8).
Naaman represents the seeking soul, one in need of the Lord. Remember, God was using his leprosy as a means to bring him to a knowledge of the Lord. Elisha on the other hand represents the Lord. And Elisha, as God's representative, said "let him come to me," words which the Lord wants to speak to every unsaved person. For Naaman to come "to know that there was a prophet in Israel" was to come to know that the God of Israel was the only true God, and the only real hope in life (cf. John 7:17; Jer. 29:13; Acts 17:27; Rom. 2:2-8; 1 Pet. 3:9; Matt. 11:28; Rev. 3:20).
The Actions and Command of the Prophet
9 So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you and you shall be clean." 11 But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper.' 12 "Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.
In these verses we have a picture of the simplicity of salvation and of the necessity of humility in finding the Lord.
Naaman Goes to Elisha (vs. 9)
This must have been an imposing picture. Naaman in his chariot with his fine horses, with his gold and silver and fine clothes standing in front of the prophet's house which was probably very unimposing by Naaman's standards. Naaman was a proud man. He was proud of his accomplishments, talents, power, position, and wealth. He rode up arrogantly and thought, surely this lowly prophet of Israel will come out to me, Naaman the great warrior; and he will wave his hand over the area of my leprosy and I will be cured. We see his pride expressing itself in verses 9, 11 and 12, but especially in his anger at being told to go and wash seven times in the Jordan.
But who was Naaman? He was a sinner and a mere creature of God, who drew his breath from two small slits in his face (Isa. 2:22). Even the power, the victories he had enjoyed, and his accomplishments were given him by the Lord of the universe (so the importance of verse 1). What does the Scripture teach about the pride of man?
- God hates "haughty eyes, or the proud look" (Prov. 6:17).
- "When pride comes, then comes dishonor . . ." (Prov. 11:2).
- "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling" (Prov. 16:18).
- "A man's pride will bring him low . . ." (Prov. 29:23).
Naaman had to be brought low; he had to be knocked off his high horse! (cf. Obadiah 3 and 4). God cannot and will not bless us as long as we are full of pride.
Why will a man's pride bring him low? James gives us part of the answer. After telling us about the grace which God gives, he also reminds us that "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Who can experience God's grace? The humble! Then from whom does God withhold his grace? The proud! Who are the proud? Those who are indifferent to God's plan, who refuse to commit themselves to God's plan, who attempt to handle life by their own abilities or strategies.
The Actions and Commands of Elisha (vs. 10)
That which the prophet does in this passage may seem rude; in fact, he would be severely criticized by many church members today and our politically correct society. His actions would be viewed as unloving, rude, and arrogant. But what Elisha did was really an act of love. It was a means of showing Naaman his pride so he could receive God's grace and begin to count for God himself.
Sure Naaman reacted and snorted off. But note that Elisha didn't run after him; it appears he simply turned it over to the sovereignty of God who then worked through the life of another to bring Naaman to his senses. As long as Naaman was proud, he would never obey the Lord in humble belief or faith.
Self conceit and the various ego trips of men are typical of the unregenerate heart and even of the carnal mind of the regenerate. It is so hard to realize just who we are, mere creatures, and to submit to God's plan. We must let God be God!
The Reactions of Naaman (vss. 11-12)
First, let's note what Naaman said as he went away in his fury in verse 11, "Behold I thought." What verse of Scripture comes to your mind here? "There is a way that seemeth right unto man, but the ways thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12). Irving Jensen says of this: "This leprous, dying man had actually the presumption to devise in his own mind exactly the plan by which he wanted his cure to be affected."50
But that's not all. Naaman had contempt for God's solution and plan. To him it was base and foolish. He was thinking, why should I go wash in the muddy Jordan River in Israel when I have clear streams of water in Damascus? Of all the absurd ideas! Note the human reasoning here. The implication is: If a cure comes through bathing in a stream, then I have better streams in which to bathe myself.
But read Paul's comments about man's wisdom and solutions versus God's wisdom and plan of salvation in the cross of Christ in 1 Corinthians 1:20-31. The world's standards and ideas of salvation seem so much more logical in comparison to God's which seems foolish and so simplistic. "Go wash in the Jordan seven times . . . and you shall be clean." A very simple thing to do, surely, but Naaman objected. And so the Bible teaches, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). But simple faith is not so simple; men object. Ironically, Naaman "was willing to pay any price, willing to do any great deed of prowess, to make any fatiguing pilgrimage, but he was unwilling to obey a simple command 'wash and be clean.'"51
What was the issue here? The washing? No. Would that cure him? No. It was the obedience of faith. It was personal faith in the command of the prophet and not the evidence of his faith, washing, which cured him. It was his simple faith in the word of God, the root. Washing was simply the fruit, the result.
So today, men are saved simply and solely by the obedience of faith, by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as one's personal Savior. The obedience God asks is the obedience of faith in Christ. So Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5 and 16:26;52 1 John 3:23 (here "believe" is the root and "love" is the fruit).
Man is so self willed. By his ego, his reason, by his own experience and desires, he wants things his own way; he wants to be saved his way; he wants to be spiritual his own way; he wants the church to operate his way, and on the list goes. But man must submit humbly to the wise plans of God or there can be no salvation, no real joy and fruitfulness, no deliverance.
Jensen says:
Verse 12 shows that in Naaman's heart a struggle was going on between faith on the one hand and unbelief on the other. It was the crucial moment for Naaman, and Satan was trying hard to get the victory, as he does with every person on the point of making the great decision. Satan first appealed to Naaman's reason: "See how unreasonable this remedy is! If bathing is the cure for leprosy, there are far better streams than this Jordan in which to wash." He argued, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?"
Satan also played on Naaman's pride, and pointed to the way in which he had been treated. Naaman, a great personage, had come to make a request of a king and pay handsomely for services rendered. First he was sent to the lowly dwelling of a prophet, who did not even come out to meet him, and then he was sent off in this way, without any display or notice, to wash in the muddy Jordan River! So he turned away in a rage, and it seemed as though Satan had won.53
What are some of the key lessons we can glean from this story?
(1) God is constantly at work to lead people to Himself, no matter how dark their condition.
(2) God uses any committed believer, no matter how ordinary or insignificant he may be. How? Because of the mighty God who indwells us. This makes us significant as His instruments of light.
(3) The grace of God cannot be bought with silver and gold or power or position. We must come to God in faith and believe His revelation in the Scripture.
(4) In fact, power and position, silver and gold, can be a hindrance and an impediment to coming to Christ, as well as to effective service.
(5) Two of the greatest hindrances to experiencing God's blessing for believers and unbelievers alike are: (a) our pride--Naaman almost lost out because of his pride, and (b) our opinions--Naaman almost lost out because his thinking was contrary to Scripture.
All appeared to be lost, it appeared Satan had won and that Naaman would go away without healing and without the saving knowledge of the Lord. But something happened. In the following, another part of the picture of how God saves comes into focus.
The Persuasion of Naaman's Servants
Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?"
This verse gives us an illustration of the value of loving care and of the importance of the right words at the right time to the unsaved (cf. Prov. 15:23, 28-29, 31; 16:21, 23). First, though we need to be praying for the Lord of the harvest to thrust out laborers into the fields, these verses illustrate how God somehow finds agents for His purposes. Perhaps these servants were themselves believers in the Lord of Israel and knew the power of the Lord, but probably not. Other than the fact they were attendants to Naaman, we know nothing about them. Still, they had wise counsel for the general.
Nevertheless, this may also illustrate the importance of wise and timely persuasion needed in personal evangelism. Notice the following points about the wisdom of their answer, an answer of the tongue as a timely word with sweetness of speech, yet honest and courageous evaluation.
(1) They were courteous. They called Naaman "my father," showing respect and submission. They chose their words carefully that they might persuade Naaman and help him.
(2) They spoke from what they knew about Naaman. He was proud and courageous; they knew he was willing to do a great deed.
But, it was precisely this, Naaman's pride and his personal opinion which was keeping Naaman from being healed. So, the four concerned servants tactfully sought a way to show Naaman that it was not his greatness, by which he would be healed, but by the greatness of the God of Israel. They were able to see from their more humble state and perspective that this was designed to demonstrate the power of the God of Israel. Should he not, then, heed the simple instruction of the prophet.
Finally, this simple command beautifully illustrates the simplicity of the gospel message of salvation in Jesus--that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone (Eph 2:8-10). The invitation of the gospel is "come, purchase without money and without price . . ." (Isa. 55:1). And how do you do that? By faith. The way of faith is the way of humiliation and repudiation of self worth, human ability, or religious works, which then casts us on the grace of God (Rev. 21:6; 22:1; Rom. 4:1-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:4-5). Faith is the one thing we can do without doing anything. Faith is the recognition of God's ability and the repudiation of ours. Of course, there are those who read this passage and use it to promote baptismal regeneration, but the analogy of Scripture and the abundance of clear passages teach us that water baptism, as important as it is, does not save us. If that was true, then water baptism would be a part of the gospel message but the apostle Paul repudiates that idea in 1 Corinthians 1:14-17.
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 that no man should say you were baptized in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void (emphasis mine).
The Cleansing of Naaman
So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
The immediate cleansing illustrates the complete and instantaneous nature of salvation. We note that he was cleansed "according to the Word." Salvation is always and only according to the Word, and never according to our feelings or emotions or human reason (cf. Rom 16:25-26). He was cleansed instantly and completely so that his flesh became like that of a little child, but not only his flesh, but his heart also. He became a new creature by faith in the Lord of Elisha the prophet.
The Gratitude and Response of Naaman
When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, "Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now." 16 But he said, "As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing." And he urged him to take it, but he refused.
These verses provide us with an illustration of the first fruits of salvation. First, he confessed and acknowledged his faith in the Lord (vs. 15). From a grateful heart he wanted to give a present to Elisha to express his appreciation for what God had done.
However, Elisha, carefully and wisely refuses. Why? Elisha had accepted help from the Shunammite woman and her husband, and Scripture teaches it is right for those who are taught the Word to share all good things with him who teaches (Gal. 6:6) So why did he refuse to accept a gift from Naaman? Because there were other implicating issues that would be compromised by receiving a gift at this time. He wanted Naaman and all those watching to know he was a servant of Yahweh and not like the greedy heathen priests in the service of Baal. He also wanted them to understand that salvation and all of God's blessings are free, they cannot be bought nor can they be earned (Rev. 21:6; 22:1; Rom. 4:1-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:4-5). Elisha refused to take anything lest he compromise the name of God and His grace (cf. 1 Thess. 1:5; 2:5; 2 Thess. 3:7-8 with Phil. 4:15-17).
Naaman's Concern Regarding His Master's Worship
17 And Naaman said, "If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules' load of earth; for your servant will no more offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD. 18 In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter." 19 And he said to him, "Go in peace." So he departed from him some distance.
This certainly illustrates the kind of concern God's people should have regarding their worship, their testimony and the appearance of evil. Naaman knew that he would have to return to his old environment and live in the midst of idolatry and evil. He was concerned that he might have a proper means of worship for he could no longer worship in the house of Rimmon. He would not compromise Yahweh. He needed a place and a means for worship, so he asked for permission (note the sudden change in attitude) to take two loads of soil back home. The exact reason is not specified, only implied. Some believe it was so he could erect an altar to Yahweh for a memorial or witness to the God of Israel in his own land. On this he could offer sacrifices as an evidence of his determination to forsake all other gods.
Another suggestion is, "Naaman asked Elisha whether two mule loads of Israelite soil might be taken with him back to Syria so that whenever circumstances forced him to bow ceremonially to the Aramean gods with his king, he might in reality be placing his knees in the soil of the true God of Israel."54 Regardless, Naaman was concerned about what God would think about his presence in the house of Rimmon.
Elisha's only response was, "Go in peace." This implies Elisha's assurance that God understands. The issue was his attitude and heart. Perhaps this illustrates the principle of separation versus isolation. Believers are to infiltrate or penetrate the world for the Lord. As the Lord put it, we are to be in the world, but not of it (John 17:15-17).
So Naaman knew he would have to go back into the world and face the evil of that day. It was his responsibility, but he knew he needed fortification through the true worship of the true God if he was to be an effective witness.
45 Irving L. Jensen, II Kings With Chronicles, Moody Press, Chicago, 1968, p. 27.
46 The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 2, Merrill C. Tenney, general editor, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1975, p. 138.
49 1 John 1:8-10 deals with confession of three issues: (1) confession of the principle of sin, the fact of a sinful nature (vs. 8), (2) confession of the particular, personal sins (vs. 9), and (3) confession of the practice, we are sinners (vs. 10).
52 There are always those who claim that we are saved by human obedience, the obedience of water baptism and other good works. They seek to support this with passages like Acts 5:32, ". . . whom God has given to those who obey Him," Romans 1:5 and 16:26, "the obedience of faith." But the obedience mentioned in Acts 5:32 is obedience to the command to believe in Christ, to put one's faith in Him as an abundance of Scripture shows. Compare John 3:16-18, 36; 6:29; 1 John 3:23; and Acts 6:7, "were becoming obedient to the faith." Further, Romans 1:5 and 16:26 can mean, "the obedience produced by faith," or "the obedience which is faith." The obedience required is faith, faith defines the obedience. In the light of Paul's theology of salvation and sanctification, probably both ideas were included in Paul's statements; his goal as an apostle was to bring men to faith in Christ, but then through their new life, to be full of good works. For the issue of water baptism, see the studies on "Assaults on the Gospel" in lesson 7, Part 3 of the ABCs Series,
Related Topics: Miracles, Character Study


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Dr Gregory GREFENSTETTE
Member since: 05/26/2014 - 12:29Short Bio
Last comments
Gregory Grefenstette is advanced researcher in the French research institute INRIA. He received his B.S. from Stanford University in 1978, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 1993. He has been Principal Scientist at the Xerox Research Centre (1993-2001), with Clairvoyance (2001-2003) and at the French applied research centre, the CEA (2001-2008), and more recently Chief Science Officer of Exalead (2009-2013). His research interests range from most subjects in Natural Language Processing to all aspects of Information Retrieval. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal for Natural Language Engineering, and he edited the first book on Cross Language Information Retrieval (Kluwer 1998).

subset: commoncrawl


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Why rely on discs and pen drives to carry your favorite songs? When you can simply connect your mobile with the new Bluetooth car adaptor. The new car adaptor provides the power to connect your devices like phones, MP3 players, GPS units and other wireless devices via Bluetooth. It can be used to receive calls, listen to your favorite music by connecting it with your phone, audio directions and even more. Not only the device provides you a hands-free experience while driving, but also ensures a safe journey without losing focus from the road.
The device comes with a powerful rechargeable battery which provides a long 16 hours battery backup. It can be connected to multiple devices at a time and is compatible with Android, Windows, iPhone and all other Bluetooth enabled devices.


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Steve Wilson led a presentation about the changing nature of Sun's connected customer response and where the provisioning and image maintenance tools now sit. This means that he's responsible for network support, subscription services and what's left of our N1 management suite.
At the centre of the proposed customer solution is the N1SM satellite server. (I say at the centre, arguably the centre is in Sun's Data Centres, at the centre of the customer deployment.) The next release due over the summer re-architects this. It has become multi-process, with a central core with proxy agents. This permits its deployment and operation within complex network topologies and so it can support complex data centre networks architectures. i.e. This introduces firewall support. Communication between the satellite and its proxies is over https/RSS. In my mind this is mega! Together, which Richard McDougall's insights, about host and guest properties (which I have not yet published) of the operating system there is an opportunity to continue to innovate the Solaris code lines to deliver huge benefit, to the discomfort of other os developers.
The remote connection will have discovery capability and will permit data centre managers to control their engagement with their support vendors. These are designed to upload limited information to Sun's Asset Portal. Today and tomorrow, the customer located technology will remain available as a technology i.e. it can be bought, and the last word in customer privacy will remain with the customer. The hope is that Sun's support will be more effective as we know more about the customer's supported assets and some ways, the conversational relationship is the same as explorer.
The third product talked about in detail was Sun MC, the management centre, this now includes container manager which is the "simple" GUI interface into the virtualisation technology. Its a technology Sun's had for a long time, and some long due maintenance is being undertaken. Version 4.0 will be released some over the long summer, and will include replacing Oracle with Postgres, and the expansion of the platforms supported to reflect the development of Sun's product line. This will therefore include the X86/x64 systems.
Originally posted on my sun/oracle blog and published on https://blogdavelevy.info in June 2016.


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NASA identifies three potential asteroids for capture
The US space agency has narrowed its hunt for an asteroid to capture to three, NASA said Wednesday.
The asteroids fit the requirements of being between seven to 10 meters (yards) in size, and further study should be able to narrow the choice even more, scientists said at a conference in San Diego, California.
"We have two to three which we will characterize in the next year and if all goes well... those will be valid candidates that could be certified targets," said Paul Chodas, senior scientist at the NASA Near-Earth Object Program Office.
The plan is to send a robotic spacecraft to capture the asteroid and drag it into orbit around the Moon.
Once there, astronauts could visit the asteroid and take samples of it back to Earth for study.
The spacecraft used for travel there and back would be the Orion multi-purpose vehicle, which is being built but has not yet been used, as well as a new deep space rocket launcher.
The program aims to break new ground by increasing NASA capabilities beyond low Earth orbit, where the International Space Station circles the globe.
NASA has touted the planetary defense capabilities the project would build toward protecting the Earth from a potential hazardous asteroid collision, as well as the technology it would boost for future human missions to deep space.
President Barack Obama has proclaimed the project would be a key step on the way to sending humans to Mars by the 2030s.
Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Directorate, described the asteroid mission as "pretty compelling."
"If you think about grabbing an object in space and then manipulating it for our use and putting it into a destination where we could go back and routinely visit and let commercial companies go visit, I think that is a pretty compelling activity."
Obama's 2014 budget for NASA asked for $100 million for the asteroid project, but the overall costs may be as high as $2 billion.
"It's a little different way than just a date and a destination. We are really good at just picking dates and destinations. But that's really hard in this budget environment where things are constrained and we have flat budgets, et cetera et cetera, to pull that off," said Gerstenmaier.
"It is not just a one-time thing. It actually feeds forward into the broader context of what we want to do with humans in space."
The launch could happen as early as 2017 or as late as 2019.
After launch of the robotic mission, the journey to the asteroid would take a year and a half, and the act of towing it toward the moon could take another three and a half years, NASA said.
The project would use a new fuel technology called solar electric propulsion.
"We are talking about engineering the solar system, in a way. We are talking about taking an asteroid which was once here, and then putting it into a useful orbit for our purposes," said Chodas.
"This is a very large idea here that we are talking about and I think it will reinvigorate interest in the space program," he said.


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We often use phrases or words that we don't fully understand. Sometimes we even use words or phrases the meanings of which we are totally clueless. As
people with a passion for words and language, that is generally not viewed as a desirable trait. Yet, the plain fact is we can't have a detailed understanding of every word or phrase…particularly when the word belongs to the jargon of a larger body of knowledge.
However, when that jargon is in use as often and frequently as the phrases
"Gen X" or "Baby Boomer", it seems especially important we have some
reasonably good idea of what these terms actually mean. Although these phrases, as jargon, stem from the larger discipline of demographics, and are used most frequently by market researchers, the fact is everybody uses these words and phrases. In effect, these cue words or phrases for the sub components of society demarcated by age are not only useful, but are generally the language used by non-demographers and society as a whole when discussing the current spectrum of population cohorts.
Our goal, this month, then, is to provide a primer on the identification and
description of the population cohorts in America as currently widely (but not universally) agreed upon by demographers and market researchers.
The Depression Era
Born: 1912-1921
Coming of Age: 1930-1939
Age in 2004: 83 to 92
Current Population: 11-12 million (and declining rapidly)
Depression era individuals tend to be conservative, compulsive savers,
maintain low debt and use more secure financial products like CDs versus stocks.
These individuals tend to feel a responsibility to leave a legacy to their
children. Tend to be patriotic, oriented toward work before pleasure, respect
for authority, have a sense of moral obligation.
World War II
Born: 1922 to 1927
Coming of Age: 1940-1945
Age in 2004: 77-82
Current Population: 11 million (in quickening decline)
People in this cohort shared in a common goal of defeating the Axis
powers. There was an accepted sense of "deferment" among this group,
contrasted with the emphasis on "me" in more recent (i.e. Gen X)
Post-War Cohort
Born: 1928-1945
Coming of Age: 1946-1963
Age in 2004: 59 to 76
Current Population: 41 million (declining)
This generation had significant opportunities in jobs and education as the War ended and a
post-war economic boom struck America. However, the growth in Cold War tensions,
the potential for nuclear war and other never before seen threats led to levels
of discomfort and uncertainty throughout the generation. Members of this group
value security, comfort, and familiar, known activities and environments.
Boomers I or The Baby Boomers
Born: 1946-1954
Coming of Age: 1963-1972
Age in 2004: 50-58
Current Population: 33 million
For a long time the Baby Boomers were defined as those born between 1945 and
1964. That would make the generation huge (71 million) and encompass people who
were 20 years apart in age. It didn't compute to have those born in 1964
compared with those born in 1946. Life experiences were completely different.
Attitudes, behaviors and society were vastly different. In effect, all the
elements that help to define a cohort were violated by the broad span of years
originally included in the concept of the Baby Boomers. The first Boomer segment
is bounded by the Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations, the Civil
Rights movements and the Vietnam War. Boomers I were in or protested the War.
Boomers 2 or the Jones Generation missed the whole thing.
Boomers I had good economic opportunities and were largely optimistic about the
potential for America and their own lives, the Vietnam War notwithstanding.
Boomers II or Generation Jones
Born: 1955-1965
Coming of Age: 1973-1983
Age in 2004: 39 to 49
Current Population: 49 million
This first post-Watergate generation lost much of its trust in government and
optimistic views the Boomers I maintained. Economic struggles including the oil
embargo of 1979 reinforced a sense of "I'm out for me" and narcissism and
a focus on self-help and skepticism over media and institutions is
representative of attitudes of this cohort. While Boomers I had Vietnam, Boomers
II had AIDS as part of their rites of passage. The youngest members of the
Boomer II generation in fact did not have the benefits of the Boomer I class as
many of the best jobs, opportunities, housing etc. were taken by the larger and
earlier group. Both Gen X and Boomer II s suffer from this long shadow cast by
Boomers I.
Generation X
Born: 1966-1976
Coming of Age: 1988-1994
Age in 2004: 28 to 38
Current Population: 41 million
Sometimes referred to as the "lost" generation, this was the first
generation of "latchkey" kids, exposed to lots of daycare and divorce. Known
as the generation with the lowest voting participation rate of any generation,
Gen Xers were quoted by Newsweek as "the generation that dropped out without
ever turning on the news or tuning in to the social issues around them."
Gen X is often characterized by high levels of skepticism, "what's in it for
me" attitudes and a reputation for some of the worst music to ever gain
popularity. Now, moving into adulthood William Morrow (Generations) cited the
childhood divorce of many Gen Xers as "one of the most decisive experiences
influencing how Gen Xers will shape their own families".
Gen Xers are arguably the best educated generation with 29% obtaining a
bachelor's degree or higher (6% higher than the previous cohort). And, with
that education and a growing maturity they are starting to form families with a
higher level of caution and pragmatism than their parents demonstrated. Concerns
run high over avoiding broken homes, kids growing up without a parent around and
financial planning.
Generation Y, Echo Boomers or Millenniums
Born: 1977-1994
Coming of Age: 1998-2006
Age in 2004: 10 to 22
Current Population: 71 million
The largest cohort since the Baby Boomers, their high numbers reflect their
births as that of their parent generation. The last of the Boomer Is and most of
the Boomer II s. Gen Y kids are known as incredibly sophisticated, technology
wise, immune to most traditional marketing and sales pitches…as they not only
grew up with it all, they've seen it all and been exposed to it all since
early childhood.
Gen Y members are much more racially and ethnically diverse and they are much
more segmented as an audience aided by the rapid expansion in Cable TV channels,
satellite radio, the Internet, e-zines, etc.
Gen Y are less brand loyal and the speed of the Internet has led the cohort to
be similarly flexible and changing in its fashion, style consciousness and where
and how it is communicated with.
Gen Y kids often raised in dual income or single parent families have been more
involved in family purchases…everything from groceries to new cars. One in
nine Gen Yers has a credit card co-signed by a parent.
Generation Z
Born: 1995-2012
Coming of Age: 2013-2020
Age in 2004: 0-9
Current Population: 23 million and growing rapidly
While we don't know much about Gen Z yet…we know a lot about the environment
they are growing up in. This highly diverse environment will make the grade
schools of the next generation the most diverse ever. Higher levels of
technology will make significant inroads in academics allowing for customized
instruction, data mining of student histories to enable pinpoint diagnostics and
remediation or accelerated achievement opportunities.
Gen Z kids will grow up with a highly sophisticated media and computer
environment and will be more Internet savvy and expert than their Gen Y
forerunners. More to come on Gen Z…stay tuned.


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Today's blog is all about some of the classic competition vehicles at last weekends Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
A couple of weeks ago I went to a talk at which Rosemary Smith, winner of the 1965 Tulip Rally driving the Hillamn Imp above, was to be the guest of honour, unfortunatley she had a fall and so could not make it so it was great to see her on her feet again at the Classic Motor Show despite the fact that some of her bones were still on the mend.
Rosemary drove a Ford Cortina Lotus on the 1968 London to Sydney Rally and finished 48th six places behind Jean Denton who drove the MGB GT Roadster seen above in need of some tlc, who finished 42nd.
Among the taller vehicles at the show was the road legal Gulf liveried Discovery Beetle, above, built on a shortened 1996 Land Rover Discovery chassis and fitted with a 300 TDi which being lighter and more aerodynamic than a standard Discovey goes well on the road and is perfect for off road trials.
Having acquired a 1966 Cooper T81 formula one car and fitted it with a 7.2 litre / 440 cui wedge engine for hill climbing Martin Brain acquired a 1967 Cooper T87 Formula 2 chassis and had it fitted with a 2.5 litre / 152 cui Daimler hemi V8, more commonly found in the SP250 and V8 250 Daimler models, for hill climbing on tracks with tighter corners. The car was rescued from a Swedish Museum in 2011 by Gillian Goldsmith better known as a successful equestrian and car racer Gillian Fortescue-Thomas who has since competed with the Cooper Daimler as has her daughter Samantha.
Powered by a 650 hp Nicholson McLaren Engines (NME) 3.5 litre / 213 cui development of the Cosworth HB Indy car engine the Gould NME GR61X is the most successful car ever to compete in British Hill Climbing with Scott Moran claiming 133 wins and Roger Moran claiming a further 16 and Alex Summers 8 since the cars first appearance in April 2005.
Successful Trike hill climber and Empire Racing Cars founder Bill Chaplin called Dutch born Formula One aerodynamicist Willem Toet, most recently at Sauber, to work on the Empire Wraith hill climb challenger which is powered by a 180hp Suzuki GSR K8 motor. This example built at the Empire factory in Stathe Somerset in 2013 is the first of three built to date and is driven by Clive Austin and Chris Aspinall.
In 1948 Donald Healey and Geoffrey Healey drove the Healey Westland above to a ninth place finish on the Mille Miglia, the following year Tommy Wisdom and Geoffrey finished 10th in the same event in the same car.
By 1959 former de Haviland aircraft engineer Frank Costin had a CV that included designing the Vanwall Grand Prix challenger that won the inaugural World Constructors Championship in 1958 and subsequent demand for his attention included that of Jem Marsh with whom he founded Marcos Engineering in Dolgellau, North Wales. The prototype Marcos, using the same plywood construction techniques de Haviland used to build the Mosquito fighter bomber the Vampire jet fighter, built in 1959 powered by a Ford 100E engine is seen above awaiting some well earned tlc having disappeared in Lincoln for many years.
Only 329 Italia 2000 GT's were built by Vignale and in 1996 Jorg Von Appen had #210, one of five Italia's he owned converted to race spec to take part in the TR Race series, it survived four races and was recently purchased by the proprietor of Patterson's Original Pickles.
After withdrawing from Formula One at the end of 1962 Porsche built their first tube framed fiberglass bodied sports car which would culminate in the development of the 917 and later 936 models, originally known as the 904 Porsche badged the car Carrera GTS in deference to Peugeot's 'digit "0" digit' numbering system. The GTS seen here was I believe used in competition by Claude Barbier and possibly later by Cyr Febbrairo.
No doubt much to the annoyance of Formula Ring Meister Bernie Ecclestone the manufacturer who supplied the engines for his Formula One Brabham team split it's efforts in 1986 between Formula One and the IMSA GTP series and invested in four March 86G chassis and fitted them with a 2 litre / 122 cui version of the BMW engine that had powered Nelson Piquet to the World Championship in 1983. A BMW GTP was driven to it's only victory by Davy Jones and John Andretti in the Watkins Glen 500, while the Brabham BMW team scored on 2 championship points in the worst season for the team up to that time.
Dan Gurney's All American Racers graduated to the IMSA GTP class in 1989, after claiming the driver's and constructors' championships in the GTO division Chris Cord in 1987, the teams all new HF89 was designed by Ron Hopkins and Hiro Fujimori and the following year Argentina's Juan Manuel Fangio II drove HF89's to three victories in the Topeka 300, Sears Point 300 with Rocky Moran and Del Mar Fairgrounds Road Circuit in November 1990.
Thanks for joining me on this "Classic Competition Cars" edition of Gettin' a li'l psycho on tyres" I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I'll be looking at a Carrera Panamericana challenger. Don't forget to come back now !


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Fall Finale at NYBG
4 comments:
- Laurrie said...
Ah, repetition... my biggest challenge for some reason. My gardens have no real design plan, so repeating elements would help, but I haven't gotten the rhythm of that yet (I don't think 5 spruces lined up on a berm counts). It helps to see photo examples like you post... thanks!
- October 18, 2010 at 9:19 AM
- Unknown said...
Hi Steve,
Loved the pictures of the bluestar and elephant leaves with dahlias in background. and then the picture right after it. Looked like a totally different scene, garden, set of plants, but in fact was just taken from a different angle.
Your observation of repetition, constraint, allowing freedom.....Something there, some secret of the universe. ....(-: Probably that insight you got in Paris, 197__ whatever year that was!
Maria Montessori said that a child becomes free through ever widening constraints. If there are no constraints when he/she is young, than an insecurity ensues.
Again, I don't know how these web things work. I thought I was responding to you through my facebook, but somehow, I am in your blog....
Hope you get this message!
Yvonne - October 18, 2010 at 11:21 PM
- Steve Silk said...
Thanks Laurrie--Yeah, when you have that plant collector's chaaos a few repeating elements can save the day. Plants in pots is a great way to learn about repetition-just plant up a few similar pots and try placing them in different spots. Have fun!
- October 25, 2010 at 8:15 AM
- Steve Silk said...
Yvonne-Glad you came by, yes I'm almost certain that particular revelation struck on one of our post-prandial perambulations in the storied City of Light. Seriously though, I think a lot of those experiences percolated through my brain to form the basis of my current aesthetic sensibilites-though I sure never suspected it at the time.
- October 25, 2010 at 8:20 AM


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Summer vacation is right around the corner. I'm not a big believer in pre-planning every single detail – sometimes the best vacation moments are spontaneous. But unless your rich uncle is paying for the trip, you'll need to do a certain amount of preparation or your budget will fly out the window.
You do have a vacation budget, right? If not, here are a few suggestions for creating one and some cost-saving ideas to help keep expenses down:
First, be realistic about what you can afford. If your vacation will take more than a month or two to pay off, you may want to scale back on this year's trip and start setting aside money now for next year.
When building a trip budget, try to anticipate all potential expenses. Consider things like:
- Airfare-related expenses. Include taxes and fees for items like changing flights, extra leg room, priority boarding, Wi-Fi access, meals, and checked, oversized or overweight baggage.
- Kayak.com, Airfarewatchdog.com and Travelnerd.com provide handy charts that compare various fees for popular airlines; however, always double-check the airline's own posted rules before booking your flight.
- Transportation to and from the airport – at home and all travel locations.
- Car rentals. Factor in taxes, gas, fill-up penalties and insurance (check your auto insurance and credit card policies to ensure you don't pay for duplicate coverage).
- Hotel/lodging. Don't forget taxes and other local fees, charges for phone/Internet, room service, early check-in or departure, gratuities, etc.
- Hotel room rates often are based on double occupancy. Although kids usually can stay for free, many hotels charge extra for additional adults.
- Entertainment. Include meals and snacks, event admission and ticket-ordering charges, transit passes or taxis, sporting equipment rental, babysitters, and special clothing or accessory requirements (sunscreen, hiking boots, etc.)
- Throw in an extra 10 or 15 percent for unanticipated expenses – lost luggage, flat tire, etc.
Search for deals on flights, hotels and rental cars at comparison sites like Orbitz.com, Kayak.com, Priceline.com, Hotwire.com, Hotels.com and Travelzoo.com. But beware: Before clicking "confirm," make sure the final price matches the initial quote. I've seen fares jump $50 or more in just minutes or had the seat I was booking suddenly become unavailable.
A few additional tips:
- Follow and "like" airlines and ticketing sites on Facebook and Twitter. They'll often share sales, discounts and promotional codes with their followers.
- If the airfare goes down after you've purchased your ticket, ask the airline or ticketing site to refund the difference – it couldn't hurt to ask.
- Print and carry a copy of your airline's Contract of Carriage, which outlines your rights and the airline's obligations should your flight be cancelled or delayed for reasons besides weather or other "acts of God."
- Consider vacation rentals listed on sites like Airbnb.com, VRBO.com and HomeAway.com. You can often find cheaper accommodations with more space and amenities than hotels offer.
- Before booking a hotel room online, call the individual property to see if they can beat the company's posted rate. Also ask for member discounts for organizations you belong to like AAA or AARP.


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DIANE BARTZ and DAVID SHEPARDSON
The U.S. sued Google on Tuesday, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals in the biggest challenge to the power and influence of Big Tech in decades.
The Justice Department lawsuit could lead to the break-up of an iconic company that has become all but synonymous with the internet and assumed a central role in the day-to-day lives of billions of people around the globe.
Such an outcome is far from assured, however, and the case is likely to take years to resolve.
The lawsuit marks the first time the U.S. has cracked down on a major tech company since it sued Microsoft Corp for anti-competitive practices in 1998. A settlement left the company intact, though the government's prior foray into Big Tech anti-trust – the 1974 case against AT&T – led to the breakup of the Bell System.
The federal government's complaint against Alphabet Inc's , which alleges that Google acted unlawfully to maintain its position in search and search advertising on the internet, was joined by 11 states. "Absent a court order, Google will continue executing its anticompetitive strategy, crippling the competitive process, reducing consumer choice, and stifling innovation," the lawsuit states.
The government said Google has nearly 90% of all general search engine queries in the United States and almost 95% of searches on mobile.
Attorney General Bill Barr said his investigators had found Google does not compete on the quality of its search results but instead bought its success through payments to mobile phone makers and others.
"The end result is that no one can feasibly challenge Google's dominance in search and search advertising," Barr said.
When asked on a conference call if the department was seeking a breakup or another remedy, Ryan Shores, a Justice Department official, said, "Nothing is off the table, but a question of remedies is best addressed by the court after it's had a chance to hear all the evidence."
In its complaint, the Justice Department said that Americans were hurt by Google's actions. In its "request for relief," it said it was seeking "structural relief as needed to cure any anti-competitive harm." "Structural relief" in antitrust matters generally means the sale of an asset.
"Ultimately it is consumers and advertisers that suffer from less choice, less innovation and less competitive advertising prices," the lawsuit states. "So we are asking the court to break Google's grip on search distribution so the competition and innovation can take hold."
Google called the lawsuit "deeply flawed," adding that people "use Google because they choose to – not because they're forced to or because they can't find alternatives."
Investors seemed to shrug off news of the lawsuit, sending shares Alphabet up 1.9% to $1,563.51 on Tuesday afternoon.
"It's like locking the proverbial door after the horse has bolted," said Neil Campling, head of tech media and telecom research at Mirabaud Securities in London, who added Google has already invested billions of dollars in infrastructure, technologies and talent. "You can't simply unwind a decade of significant progress."
Tuesday's federal lawsuit marks a rare moment of agreement between the Trump administration and progressive Democrats. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted on Sept. 10, using the hash tag #BreakUpBigTech, that she wanted "swift, aggressive action."
Still, coming just days before the U.S. presidential election, the filing's timing could be seen as a political gesture since it fulfills a promise made by President Donald Trump to his supporters to hold certain companies to account for allegedly stifling conservative voices.
Republicans often complain that social media companies including Google take action to reduce the spread of conservative viewpoints on their platforms. Lawmakers have sought, without explaining how, to use antitrust laws to compel Big Tech to stop these alleged limitations.
The complaint pointed to the billions of dollars that Google pays to smartphone makers such as Apple Inc, Samsung and others to make Google's search engine the default on their devices.
This means that rival search engines never get the scale they need to improve their algorithms, and grow, the complaint said.
"General search services, search advertising, and general search text advertising require complex algorithms that are constantly learning which organic results and ads best respond to user queries," the government said in its complaint. "By using distribution agreements to lock up scale for itself and deny it to others, Google unlawfully maintains its monopolies."
Google has been successful at protecting its profit derived from the Android mobile operating system, which is officially open source but companies that change it are barred from lucrative revenue-sharing agreements.
Justice Department investigators found an internal Google analysis of restrictive agreements determined that just 1% of Google's worldwide Android search revenue was at risk of being lost to competitors.
"This analysis noted that the growth in Google's search advertising revenue from Android distribution was 'driven by increased platform protection efforts and agreements,'" the complaint found.
The 11 states that joined the lawsuit all have Republican attorneys general.
More lawsuits could be in the offing since probes by state attorneys general into Google's broader businesses are under way, as well as an investigation of its broader digital advertising businesses. Attorneys general led by Texas are expected to file a separate lawsuit focused on digital advertising as soon as November, while a group led by Colorado is contemplating a more expansive lawsuit against Google.
The lawsuit comes more than a year after the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission began antitrust investigations into four big tech companies: Amazon.com Inc , Apple, Facebook Inc and Google.
Seven years ago, the FTC settled an antitrust probe into Google over alleged bias in its search function to favor its products, among other issues. The settlement came over the objections of some FTC staff attorneys.
Google has faced similar legal challenges overseas.
The European Union fined Google $1.7 billion in 2019 for stopping websites from using Google's rivals to find advertisers, $2.6 billion in 2017 for favoring its own shopping business in search, and $4.9 billion in 2018 for blocking rivals on its wireless Android operating system. – Thomson Reuters Foundation.


text:
The €128 million order was placed by project owner, the London Array Consortium, comprising Dong Energy, E.ON and Abu Dhabi green investment company Masdar. The deal is one of seven major supply and installation contracts worth almost £2 billion placed by London Array and means the project can now proceed.
The £2.2 billion wind farm will be sited in the Thames estuary, some 20 kilometres from the Kent and Essex coasts.
It will be the largest offshore project in the world when completed in 2012 and has the option of being extended to 1000 MW capacity—enough to supply the domestic needs of 25% of the population of Greater London. Work offshore is to start in early 2011, with completion of the 630 MW first phase by the end of 2012.
The largest contract, worth some £1 billion, went to Siemens Wind Energy in May 2009 for 175 turbines and a five-year servicing deal. The 3.6 MW machines will be fitted with Siemens' new 120 metre rotor and have a hub height of 87 metres above sea level. The turbine supply contract is part of a wider deal between Siemens and Dong for 500 machines.
Siemens Transmission and Distribution Ltd, based in Manchester, will supply the electrical equipment for two offshore substation platforms which will bundle the power generated by the 175 turbines, before transporting it via high voltage subsea cable to the North Kent coast.
The company has already started work on building the onshore substation at Graveney, where connection to the National Grid is expected to be completed in October 2011.
The foundations contract goes to a joint venture between Per Aarsleff A/S and Bilfinger Berger Ingeniuerbeau GmBH. They will supply 177 monopiles—one for each of the wind turbines and two for the offshore substations.
They will also install the wind turbines. Future Energy, a joint venture between Fabricom, Iemnants and Geosea, is to design, fabricate and install the two identical substations; each to be built on three levels with a floor area of 20 square metres.
The 222 kilometres of 150kV export cables linking the substations to shore are to be supplied by Nexans Norway, while JDR Cable Systems of Hartlepool in the UK is to supply the 210 kilometres of 33kV inter-array cables linking the turbines to the substations. Finally, Visser & Smit Marine Contracting and Global marine Systems Limited are to install the export and array cables.
With the award of the major contracts, the London Array qualifies for increased support under the UK's Renewables Obligation. Projects that reach financial close in the year 2009-2010 will receive two renewables obligation certificates (ROCs) compared to 1.5 ROCs for earlier projects. The government has also just announced plans to extend the 2 ROCs support to 2014.
Siemens picks up €128m London Array transmission contract
ENGLAND: Siemens Energy, which has already been lined up to supply the turbines to the London Array offshore wind farm, has now won the contract to connect the 630 MW project to the onshore transmission network.


text: Oscar winner Denzel Washington filmed a sporty scene for his local movie "The Equalizer" on Monday. He's been filming at the old Lowe's in Haverhill (which we assume they're calling "Home Mart" based on Denzel's shirt in this picture) and in Charlestown. On Tuesday, he filmed more scenes in Chelsea. We're still waiting for a sighting of actress Chloe Moretz, of "30 Rock," "Let Me In," and "Hugo," who will star opposite Washington in the film, which is about a retired intelligence officer who helps a prostitute. There's also a Wahlberg in the film — according to the Internet Movie Database, Robert Wahlberg (Mark and Donnie's brother) plays a detective in the movie. Robert was also in the local films "Gone Baby Gone," "The Departed," and "Mystic River."


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WITH THE ROLLOUT of the smart grid, both consumers and energy providers hope to better monitor energy usage. Such networks will eventually include home networks, monitoring everything from appliances to entertainment and HVAC systems. In doing so, they will permit users to control their appliances and devices remotely. On a broader scale, this approach is now being mirrored by many cities. Using wireless sensor networks, cities are beginning to perform "urban monitoring," which is based on services ranging from noisepollution monitoring to smart waste management (see figure). With the addition of a new sensor printed-circuit board (PCB), for example, the Smart Cities solution from Libelium is now enabling the installation of such services.
The debut sensor board measures noise pollution, dust quantities, structural health, and garbage levels. When it is combined in a network with previously available sensor boardsfor gas monitoring, radiation detection, and smart parkingit offers a comprehensive range of sensors for urban use. These sensor boards are combined to form a heterogeneous wireless sensor network, which can be deployed for use by city councils.
Specifically, this latest PCB includes four new sensors. The noise sensor's detected sound pressure level (SPL) can be used to identify noise from traffic and people and create a real-time noise map of a city. In addition, a particulate matter (dust) sensor measures PM10 concentrations as low as 0.1 g/m3.
Targeting infrastructure, the crack sensor measures cracks in public structures, such as buildings and bridges. It can detect displacements as small as 10 m, as well as oscillations and dilations. This sensor is applicable to structural health monitoring. Lastly, an ultrasound sensor is capable of measuring garbage levels in bins. This capability can enable waste-management services to empty rubbish only from bins that are sufficiently full. As a result, such services can save both time and fuel.
The Smart Cities platform is based on Libelium's modular platform, dubbed Waspmote. It comprises the Waspmote PCB with microcontroller, memory, battery, accelerometer, and sockets for add-on modules. Also included is the open-source application programming interface (API) and compiler, along with a range of ZigBee modules offering a choice of protocol versions, radio frequency, and range (to 12 km). Additional wireless modules support Bluetooth, GPRS, and GPS. The platform exhibits impressive power management, requiring just 0.7 mA in hibernate mode. Last but not least, it also supports over-the-air (OTA) programming.


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The next version of Apple's OS X operating system could be arriving much sooner than anyone has anticipated. Financialwire.net quotes sources at Apple who are pointing at end March as a likely launch date.
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard was originally due to have arrived in time for the Apple World Wide Developer Conference ( WWDC ) which is being held on 11-15 June.
Think Secret says the reason for the early release is that OS X's programmers are wrapping up development much faster than they expected. The previous version of the OS, dubbed Tiger, was launched at the end of April 2005.
Features and secrets
Apple CEO Steve Jobs previewed Leopard during his keynote speech at WWDC 2006 last August.
He showed off several new features including Time Machine which enables Mac users to go 'back in time' to restore files that may have been deleted several weeks or months previously. Leopard is also promising multiple virtual desktops with Spaces, a real-time animation engine called Core Animation, plus heavily enhanced versions of Mail, iChat and iCal among others.
Apple is also expected to unveil a new look for its OS dubbed 'Illuminous' which extends the mirrored black look of existing Apple apps like Front Row into other areas of the OS.
Jobs said at WWDC 2006 that he didn't want reveal all of Leopard's secrets in case Microsoft tried incorporating them into Windows Vista which launched at the end of January. Apple accused Microsoft of stealing many of its ideas for Vista at WWDC 2006. Commentators have pointed to obvious similarities in Vista's Aero, Mail, Calendar, Photo Viewer, Movie Maker, Gadgets and other apps, leading to uncharacteristic outbursts from Microsoft founder Bill Gates on NBC and CNN.
One thing Apple is expected to include in Leopard is support for Blu-ray disc burning. Mac rumor sites are expecting Blu-ray burning Mac Pros to debut at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, which runs from 14-19 April. Apple has been a long-time supporter of Blu-ray, but hasn't offered OS support for the high definition format so far.
All quiet on the Leopard front
However things have been unexpectedly quiet on the Leopard front of late, Apple presumably reasoning that trying to punt is OS would be a mistake in the middle of the Vista PR firestorm. To give you one example: Jobs sidelined Leopard at his keynote speech at Macworld in January concentrating entirely on yet-to-be-launched iPhone instead.
New versions of the OS have traditionally been unveiled at the San Francisco event, alongside new versions of creative app iLife (which incorporates Garage Band, iDVD, iMovie HD, iPhoto, iTunes and iWeb) and the iWork productivity suite (which includes presentation app Keynote and word processor/DTP hybrid Pages).
Apple watchers reckon that both programs will drop at the same time as Leopard, sparking an upgrade frenzy by Mac fans eager get their hands on the new software and hardware expected in the run up to Easter.
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By Matt Hanson
By Darren Allan


text:
I'm Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain'a? So listen, I don't have much time to whip out an essay for you's this week on account I got to go meet up with my crew over by the Uptowner tavern/charm school on Hysteric Center Street so's to make our plans for the Super Sunday football holiday coming up this Sunday, what the fock.

I'll tell you's, I've always found that when the members of your home team are engaged in pursuits not related to knocking the snot out of the dickwads in a different uniform on the first Sunday of February, that the Super Bowl is often a piece of boring crapola that stretches on and on that by the time it's over not only is your kid out of diapers, but his voice is changed, he's moved out of the house and his second divorce is almost final. The only thing that could be better than the sound of the final gun is if it had been also pointed at that smart-ass baby in the E*Trade commercials.

So yeah, I got to get up to the Uptowner, but since our Milwaukee County Transit System totally dicked around with a bunch of bus routes last weekend, I've got to call Albert focking Einstein to find out if he knows if there's still a mathematical possibility for me to get to where I want to go. Even Al might have a heck of a time figuring this out, since some of the routes now go by colors instead of numbers. Focking swell. I'm colorblind, so I got an inkling that even if I get through to Albert, the formula he'll have for me will be this: MCT = FUa formula I hear that also applies to the drivers, I kid you not.

It's enough to make a guy like me want to move to the focking moonseems a lot like South Dakota minus all the oxygen, ain'a? Sounds like just the place to harbor all registered Democrats who, by executive decree, will be forced to start a new life under the thumb of a Gingrich administration.

One more thing before I try to get to where I'm supposed to go. Saw this headline in the papers: "Prostate cancer in mummy suggests genetics as cause." Again, focking swell. Article says, "…the discovery of prostate cancer in a 2,200-year-old mummy indicates that the disease was caused by genetics, not environment." Hope the focker had health insurance.

And just a couple weeks ago on this very page I was blathering about how we've progressed over time from thinking that Satan is responsible for your incurable disease or disability to thinking it's in your genes from the hereditary. How 'bout that. Reminds me of the time years ago when I told you about an old, old letter I found at the bottom of a dusty trunk in the basement where I lived. Remember? It went something like this:

To the Dear Fruit of My Loins, Thousands and Thousands of Years in the Future:

"How's it hanging? You don't know who the fock I am 'cause I've been stiff as a board for about 2,000 years. But I'll tell you, when I was alive, we had it tough. How tough? Hey, we had to walk 50 focking miles to school, Jack, and in these bullshit sandals, to bootsandals kind of like you candy-asses of the future actually go out of your way to buy so your feet can stay nice and cool in summertime. Go to focking hell.

"And come to think of it, nobody even knew from school back then, but we still had to walk every day just in case somebody invented school while we were milking the goat.

"So you having a nice time? Whatcha doin', sitting around reading a magazine, cruising porn sites on the Web or something? Must be nice. We didn't have magazines. Hell, we hardly had reading for christ sakes, and even if we did, there wasn't much to read about. How many Ra the Sun God celebrity profiles could one guy focking standhear what I'm saying? Yeah, and while you're thinking about making a nice sandwich, we'd be up to our armpits with silly stuff like avoiding getting our nuts lopped off by some sword-slinging son of a bitch from who-knows-where, hell-bent on butchering whomever he thought needed butchering; or maybe we'd be wondering how many teeth would fall out today 'cause no one had invented focking floss yet.

"So anyways, hope you'll be celebrating a birthday soon 'cause I got a little gift for you. Seems I got this gene here that can make somebody puking sick for the rest of their life or three months, whichever comes first, as soon as they hit 40-50-60. And guess what? I decided to pass it along to you. How about that? Just a little something to remember me by. See you soon, bro'."

Yeah, what a world, 'cause I'm Art Kumbalek and I told you so.

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text:
U.S. Navy Fires on Ship in Persian Gulf, One Dead
U.S. official says warning shots fired before small vessel was "engaged."
July 16, 2012 — -- An American Navy ship fired on a boat in the Persian Gulf today, killing one person and injuring three others aboard the craft, U.S. naval officials told ABC News.
Lt. Greg Raelson, a spokesperson for the Navy's 5th Fleet, which is based in nearby Bahrain, said that a security team aboard the oil supply ship U.S.N.S. Rappahannock fired a .50 caliber machine gun at a "small motor vessel after it disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the U.S. ship" off the coast of Jebel Ali, a city approximately 30 miles from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
The Navy has launched a joint investigation with the UAE into the incident as details continue to emerge. A defense official described the offending vessel was a white pleasure craft, but two UAE officials told ABC News it was a fishing boat with four Indians and two Emiratis on board. The UAE's official news agency identified an Indian fisherman as the man who was killed.
There doesn't appear to be any indication the incident was terror-related, one of the UAE officials said.
A Navy official said it's not uncommon for Iranian speed craft to harass U.S. ships in the region, but in this case the boat wasn't Iranian.
"I can't emphasize enough that this has nothing to do with Iran," the official said.
Raelson said the small motor vessel that was hit by gunfire from the Rappahannock was "approaching at a high rate of speed" and "on a deliberate approach."
Another Navy official said it was "on a course that would have caused it to impact the Rappahanock... It wasn't just close, it was on a course that would have ultimately taken it to impact."
American sailors are trained to take special caution of any vessels that appear to be approaching their warships. In 2000 the destroyer U.S.S. Cole was attacked in the port of Aden, Yemen, by al Qaeda terrorists who used a small private craft armed with explosives to ram the ship, killing 17 American sailors.
Word of the shooting comes on the same day that the Pentagon confirmed that it had agreed to a recent request from U.S. Central Command to maintain a two carrier presence in the Middle East.
The carrier U.S.S. John C. Stennis has been ordered to head to the region four months ahead of schedule in September to replace the outgoing U.S.S. Enterprise. A Pentagon spokesman said the Stennis is being sent so that there is no gap in between two carrier assignments to the region.
On Sunday, the U.S.S. Eisenhower replaced the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in the region. By replacing the Enterprise, the U.S. will now be able to avoid having just one carrier in the region.
The U.S. Navy usually rotates one of its two carriers into the Persian Gulf while the other operates in the Arabian Sea providing air support for the war in Afghanistan.
ABC News' Brian Ross contributed to this report.
Click here to return to The Blotter homepage.


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29th meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Ageneies (SCOVA) under the chairmanship of Hon'ble MOS (PP)
F.No. 42/16/2016-P&PW(G)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, P.G and Pensions
Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare
3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan
Khan Market, New Delhi-110003
Date:- 30th Nov, 2016
All the Pensioners Associations included in the SCOVA
vide Resolution dated 25.08.2015
Subject:- 29th meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Ageneies (SCOVA) under the chairmanship of Hon'ble MOS (PP)-reg
The 29th meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies(SCOVA) of the Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare is scheduled to he held shortly. The date, time and venue of the meeting will be intimated shortly. The meeting will be chaired by the Hon'ble Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.
2. It is therefore requested to provide the following requisite information through hard copy as well as e-mail:-
(a) Suggest fresh items/issues, if any, for inclusion in the agenda to be discussed for the proposed meeting,. Kindly do not send those agenda items which have already been discussed in the previous SCOVA meetings and on which final decision/action has already been taken. Your response in this regard may please he sent to this Department latest by 5th December, 2016 to enable us to finalise the agenda items. Minutes of the previous SCOVA meetings are available on the website of this Department i.e www.pensionersportal.gov.in
(b) Because of the consideration of space. only one representative of your organisation may attend the above said meeting. Confirmation of participation and the name of the participant may kindly be intimated in advance to the undersigned by fax/e-mail.
3. Outstation members will be paid TA/DA and local members will be paid conveyance charges in accordance with the rules/instructions.
4, This Department looks forward to your participation in the meeting.
(Charanjit Taneja)
Under Secretary to the Government of India


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OCEAN CITY –Ocean City could be seeing a new family and youth oriented event in the summer of 2009, a citywide event that would target families and promote action sports.
The concept for OC Beachfest was presented last week at a tourism commission meeting, an event that promises to be "three days of action sports at the beach."
Action sports are on the rise and have been for many years as events such as the X-Games become increasingly popular. OC Beachfest looks to capitalize on the ever-growing sector of action sports while utilizing what the town of Ocean City already has to offer, the beach and the bay.
OC Beachfest, which is tentatively scheduled for June 19-21, 2009, will include three days of professional and amateur sports. The three-day, citywide event would include surfing, skateboarding, bodyboarding, a 5k and half-marathon, paddleboarding, BMX and kiteboarding. Interactive activities, vendors, music, demos, entertainment, sports celebrities, health and fitness, and beach movies will also be featured over the course of the three-day event.
"There'll be events like X-Games that are very successful events that are wrapped around action sports," said event organizer Brad Hoffman.
The events would be spread throughout town, with the majority of the events centered at the Convention Center. The beach, bay and Ocean Bowl Skate Park would also be utilized. "It celebrates a lot of the natural resources that we have in Ocean City," said Hoffman.
The event aims to attract the whole family, with contests and events for kids all ages and a half-marathon and 5-K for parents.
"We wanted to focus on events that were active," said Hoffman, emphasizing the importance of getting kids active, outdoors, and excited about action sports. Pro athletes are also anticipated to be at the three-day event.
"These kids' heroes are pro-skateboarders nowadays," said Hoffman, describing how excited kids get at the chance to meet a pro skateboarder or surfer.
Hoffman and his team of organizers also hope to include schools in the event and have already received some positive feedback from area schools. Students would train for a particular physical fitness contest in school and participate in the final leg of their training at OC Beachfest.
OC Beachfest is intended to only cost the town in-kind services, with no additional price tag for the town. Hoffman noted that they hope to raise all of the necessary funds through the support of local businesses and national sponsors.
The tourism commission fully embraced the family oriented event, noting the potential crowds, the focus on activity-based fun for kids, and the low costs to the town.
The half-marathon arose concerns however, particularly the logistics of having hundreds or thousands of runners going through town on a Sunday in June.
The 13-mile half-marathon would occur mostly on the boardwalk and on the bayside of downtown, but runners would inevitably be crossing Coastal Highway and Baltimore Avenue, making police presence mandatory. City Manager Dennis Dare noted his concern for the amount of man hours and inevitable overtime that would be required to control the three hour race.
Despite the potential problems that need to be ironed out with the half-marathon, the commission fully embraced the event, voting unanimously to move forward with planning.
"I think it's a great idea, I really do," said City Council member Mary Knight.
"I just think this is awesome," said Ocean City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melanie Pursel, noting the benefit of promoting kids to get outdoors and active.
Susan Jones, Executive Director of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant-Association, also showed support. "I think the mix of this has real potential and if we don't embrace it we're crazy," she said.
"The more events we can get, the better off we're going to be," said hotelier and Economic Development Committee Chairman Dr. Leonard Berger.


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SNOW HILL — Funds for highway improvement projects are low or non-existent, according to Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials, who added that fees and taxes may need to be raised if Worcester County wants to see long-term projects completed.
Proposed by the Maryland Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding, some of the possible revenue boosters being considered include raising the fuel tax, increasing vehicle registration fees or hiking the titling tax, among other things.
"It's an aggressive set of recommendations," said MDOT Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley.
Without more revenue flowing in, however, Swaim-Staley told the Worcester County Commissioners Tuesday that many ongoing county projects like expanding Route 113 will be held up due to lack of capital.
"We all know we have far more needs than we ever have the money to pay for," she said.
While members of the commission expressed disappointment over the lack of funds, some remarked that they weren't surprised.
"I didn't expect them to come down with buckets of money," said Commissioner Virgil Shockley.
Still, Shockley confessed that he was hoping there would be more funds earmarked for the next phase of Route 113 construction.
Greg Slater, Director of Planning and Preliminary Engineering for the State Highway Administration (SHA), told the commission that there is only enough residual funding in the Route 113 account to do the very bare minimum of planning work for the next phase.
"I was a little surprised at that, I guess," said Shockley, who had hoped Route 113 would be enough of a priority to keep money funneled into it.
Even with only minimal funding, however, Route 113 is in a better spot than many projects in Worcester. Work to expand Route 589 in Ocean Pines is at a stand-still after the commission rejected the state's vision plan for the area, which would have invaded personal property by designating land for right-of-way usage. Even had the vision been approved, actual construction wasn't slated to begin for more than two decades. With the vision being denied, it might take even longer than that to see any progress made.
"We really need time to make sure we have the right solution," said Slater of Route 589. "It's certainly not a challenge that's going to go away."
Other projects that lack appropriated funding include the bridge at Pocomoke and the Route 50 Bridge into Ocean City.
Commissioner Merrill Lockfaw warned MDOT that the Pocomoke Bridge is not in ideal condition. SHA District Engineer Donnie Drewer explained that the best his office can do at the moment is maintenance on the bridge.
"I think we've got all the holes filled," he said.
The Ruote 50 Bridge into Ocean City is another project that probably won't get any attention for at least the next few decades.
"You're telling me I have to live to be 100 to see this?" joked Commissioner Louise Gulyas.
Slater admitted that the bridge could use some attention but because it isn't a safety hazard it's towards the bottom of the state list. He went on to call it "functionally obsolete," which means the bridge itself is fine structurally but not designed to deal with as much traffic as it does.
While the commission wasn't happy to hear there isn't much funding for projects in Worcester, Swaim-Staley pointed out that it wasn't the only county feeling the economic crunch. According to MDOT, it would cost $12 billion just to finance every county's top priority project.
"How do you get those funds in place and be fair to everyone … there are a lot of projects out there," said Delegate Norm Conway.
The disparity of demand versus funding and how that can be fixed was something Conway touched upon when addressing the commission.
"Nobody wants to pay more in fuel taxes," he said.
However, Conway noted that new solutions need to be found or progress will stop.
Swaim-Staley felt the same, and stressed that federal funding has been steadily declining for years, shifting more of the burden to the state and local levels.
"We're never going to be at the place we were 20 years ago," she said, reminding the commission that the federal government used to shoulder the lion's share of a lot of the kind of projects the county is interested in.
Shockley acknowledged the need to bring in new revenue, but predicted any proposals to raise fuel taxes or registration fees will not go over well.
"There are all of these things floating out there about what to raise and how we're going to raise it," he said.
Shockley called it a "shotgun approach" and believes MDOT should focus on one plan to find funding at a time.
With the Bay Bridge toll increasing this year and the potential for gas prices to rise in the spring, Shockley cautioned MDOT to tread lightly when looking for more revenue.


text:
Just after news leaked out that Netflix would not be building a native BB10 app, BlackBerryOS is showing off an Android port of Netflix running on a Z10. Not having Netflix is not the end of the world for an OS, but it is a benchmark. Netflix is on most platforms and the fact that they are not putting their resources into BlackBerry 10 definitely says something. Let's hope they change their mind.
The Android ported Netflix app runs "okay" on the Z10. As you can see in the video, there is noticeable lag when scrolling around the app. The good news is, once the video is playing it does run smoothly.
Unless you are a video junkie, this probably isn't the best solution, but it does work.
I'm hopeful that BlackBerry will bring BB10 to a new tablet, and then Netflix will create a native app. Watching movies on a phone is okay in a pinch, but it's not really the best experience. That's probably why Netflix is waiting to see what happens with BB10.
Do you watch movies on your phone? Do you want to?